Marauder Horseman for beginners

Hi there!

I've just started to play Warhammer with my Chaos army. I like 'em sooo much. But I found some things pretty confusing. I started to geather informations about possible options is set-up, combos etc. BUT I've fond tons of Chaos posts about Marauder Horsemans and I have to tell you that they confused me... I don't know what are they really good for. I mean with their quite poor number and save they are easy to kill.

Some of posts suggested to use throwing spears(Im affraid of 8yard range) some to use melee spears...im confused. I dont even know what is the ideal number for them

Please help me about it and explain me their role in a Chaos army

I hope you will be able to help me out

Thanks:
Mokamiki

(I hope you can understand me...I know my english sometimes terrible)

There are a number of popular set-ups, however in my experience, the most effective is simply 5 horsemen with flails, musician and the mark of slaanesh. This unit can be used to:

1. Hunt isolated warmachines or some shooting units (provided you an ensure you only have to withstand one volley from them),
2. Outflank enemies by taking the longer route around terrain. They still often won't arrive until turn 3 but anything that your knights can't handle on their own they probably shouldn't be fighting until the second half of the game anyway.
3. Screen any frenzied knights. Whilst hounds are ideal for this, rely on them solely is often dodgey, as they can oh-so easily be removed by light shooting, leaving your hard-hitters open to baiting.
4. Kill enemy support. With the notable exceptions of dark riders and terradons (I know they're not technically fast cav but still), these horsemen win the exchange of fast-cavalry handbags more often than not.
5. Provide no-go zones for enemy harassers. There are plenty of games where simply facing them towards areas of danger will stop the enemy from being able to move units there (or better still, forces them to overcompensate).
6. Redirect/sacrifice to delay enemies. The fact that they're so manouverable and cheap means that they can be used to block enemy countercharge paths, or else draw nasty stuf away from the bits of your army they could really hurt (e.g. oldbloods on carnosaurs).
7. Bait and switch. I reckon this one gets massively less frequent when you play decent players but it's still worth a mention. A good player will nearly always be able to spot this one a turn in advance and will rarely, if ever, fall for it. Nonetheless, it can still be used to bottle-neck up parts of the battlefield while the game of chess ensues, allowing you to apply pressure somewhere else. In other words, while the other guy figures out the 2 or 3 turn combination of failed charges, sacrificial unit manouvering, shooting and countercharges that frees up his deathstar unit, you overrun the other flank.
8. Canon fodder. Often, by sending them on a suicide run towards enemy artillery, that artillery is forced to waste a turn's shooting killing them. If they don't, your horsemen kill hundreds of points worth of stuff, if they do, your knights escape a round of fire. Win win.

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting but others will hopefully add them.

Very versatile unit best run as groups of 5 with either mark of khorne+flails, mos+axe, or even completely naked. They take up a cheap core slot so that you can use the points on other units such as knights or lots of magic.

Against any army that has shooting they will die on turn 1 which is why I prefer not to invest many points in them although sometimes I like to have a mok/flail go running around terrain to force my opponent to send some attention their way.

Ukko has already explained a lot. Here's my two cents. No fast cavalry in this game is resilient. They do get killed easily but they are still cheaper than elven fast cavalry choices (although slower). Horsemen move so fast with that free reform that it makes them worth taking in every game.

From chilly winter morning,
Exarch

Hi,

it seems that you started to compare combat power and AS vs their points - here horseman will allways (as all fast cav) be a bad choice compared to knights etc.

Horseman are a support unit, apart from hunting light stuff and artillery their main job is to ensure that your fighting troops fight on terms that are in your favour.
This could be archived via baiting, marchblocking (it is one of our few fast units) or forced overruns. Here you invest ~80 points to make your hard hitters shine.

For the setup, take it easy and simply play them and test different set-ups. Try to avoid to use them as light knights, so perhaps avaoid every combat where you will lose more than 1 . Or go for a game vs. a good Dark Elf player, after that you should know how annoying light cav could be.
Personally I like them naked with muso and axes.
That gives you a nice bait (muso for rally tests) and some short ranged shooting to take care of small units of skirmisher, single mages etc..

Another thing to remember is their horse lords rule allowing them to re-roll pursuit rolls. It's certainly not as major as their other uses but is easily forgotten, and makes the set up of 5 with flails and the mark of khorne even deadlier!

I was hit with a unit of 10, MoK. Suprised me at how good that is.

I will be doing that frequently from now on.

[B]I'm a New WoC General too, i've use them for killing warmachines and distraction, in a game i put 5 with MoK+Throwing Axes that way a kill the machine with no mayor problems shooting at distance the axes and next turn charge. The other options of use and idea here i'm going to try them folks.

I use mine in 6 man units with flails, throwing axes and musicion and use 2 units of them. They can't range out in open by themselves you need other threats also for the horseman to be effective. They are not for redirecting or screening that the job of the doggies. I use mine to skirt the battlelines and attack flanks and to help protect the flanks of my main line units. I use a disc rider or a deamon prince to attack warmachines, missle troops and solo characters.

Veno I'm trying to sort out how your able to even get a throw in with your axes before you charge in considering your horsemen are subject to frenzy unless you have their backs to the unit your throwing the axes at then I think I get how your doing it and if that's not how your doing it I'd be curious how you are.

As for me if I ever get around to playing I would take most likely five with spears, throwing spears, shields and musician.

Veno I'm trying to sort out how your able to even get a throw in with your axes before you charge in considering your horsemen are subject to frenzy unless you have their backs to the unit your throwing the axes at then I think I get how your doing it and if that's not how your doing it I'd be curious how you are.

As for me if I ever get around to playing I would take most likely five with spears, throwing spears, shields and musician.

You can do it when your unit is more than 16" away from the warmachine. Just march into the range of your axes, throw them and then charge next turn. Just pray that your opponent does not place anything in between the warmachine and your horsemen

Greetings
Eta

Ah so if your not within the 8 inches at the start of the turn then you won't frenzy into them is that what I gather from what your saying eta cause if it is I never actually thought of that while considering how veto was doing that.

If you are not within 16" at the start of the turn, you cannot charge the warmachine / whatever and thus use the throwing axes after movement (provided that you are not more than 22" away at the start of your turn, of course).

Greetings
Eta

Oh yeah duh slip of the mind forgot movement rate of 8" for the guys were talking about.

I try to place my horsemens enough close to the warmachine to throw the axes and prevent any other unit make me change my charge against the machine, but if this is not posible then it's a problem for my horsemens he he he